CBS fields good team: Simms and Nantz

They turn in all-star performances

Jay Leno, Oprah Winfrey and David Letterman provided a high point in their promo for the “Late Show with David Letterman.” Some of the ads for Bud Lite and Doritos are best forgotten.
— Associated Press / CBS

Jay Leno, Oprah Winfrey and David Letterman provided a high point in their promo for the “Late Show with David Letterman.” Some of the ads for Bud Lite and Doritos are best forgotten.
/ Associated Press / CBS

The defining moment of Super Bowl XLIV last night came with 3:24 to play and the Colts facing third-and-5 at the New Orleans 31, trailing by seven.

CBS Sports lead analyst Phil Simms was ready.

“I’m going to say this,” Simms said just before the snap, “two weeks ago, the Jets, you kept blitzing, it cost you. If I was the New Orleans Saints, I would not blitz him. I would put the extra guys in coverage.”

The next sound anyone heard came 5 seconds later from play-by-play voice Jim Nantz:

“What was I saying, don’t blitz?” he said, and viewers could almost hear him smiling. “Well, they sent everybody.”

Fortunately for viewers, and for CBS, it was a rare miss by Simms, who was almost as accurate last night as he was that day 23 years ago when he completed 22-of-25 passes and won MVP honors in the Giants’ Super Bowl XXI victory over Denver.

Simms, along with Nantz, producer Lance Barrow and director Mike Arnold, came through with the type of performance everyone expects — and usually gets — from the Super Bowl game telecast, regardless of the network.

CBS was especially sharp early, with Nantz providing quick information and Simms dropping several interesting tidbits, including Peyton Manning saying he expected the crowd to be pro-Saints; noting a “fumble” on a kickoff return would have been overturned by replay if necessary, and spotting the improvement in Dwight Freeney in the second quarter just before the defensive end recorded a key sack. Nantz also noticed the Colts not covering Saints receiver Marques Colston just before a big reception.

There were some failures, though. Simms was silent on the Colts’ conservative play-calling near the end of the half, as well as their decision to let their 42-year-old kicker try a 51-yard field goal. And neither announcer picked up before a commercial that the Saints might want to challenge their failed two-point conversion in the fourth quarter (which wound up being overturned).

From a production standpoint, the sound mix seemed off at times, making it difficult to hear the announcers over the crowd. There also was a problem with the sound that prevented viewers from hearing what players were saying during the pre-produced montage that preceded the introduction of the teams.

There was no mistaking the end of the game, though, when Nantz said, “Mardi Gras (is) about to break out in Miami.”

And, as Drew Brees said moments later during the postgame celebration, “Mardi Gras may never end.”

Other thoughts

•CBS normally doesn’t use sideline reporters, a decision I’ve applauded, but give the network credit for deploying Solomon Wilcots (Saints) and Steve Tasker (Colts) yesterday. Wilcots came out of a break following the Colts’ first TD and noted starting cornerback Jabari Greer was hurt three plays earlier and replaced by Usama Young, who was burned for the score. Later, Tasker had a good report on Dwight Freeney being unhappy with a halftime tape job on his injured ankle and leaving the game to get it redone. The other positive part: Unlike many networks, CBS didn’t feel the need for superfluous sideline reports; they were used only when necessary.